Fireflies
by Pan-snow
Summary: AU- Tifa tries to discover who she is and learn about the people around her. VincentTifaCloud-(multichapters)
1. Default Chapter

Author's note: '' are used for thoughts  
  
The constant pattering of the ball on the asphalt masked the quiet shrills that caressed the air.  
  
With their mouths half parted, Aeris and Yuffie gripped each others arms as they stared lustfully at the group of boys playing basketball.  
  
"I wonder how he looks without shirt," Aeris repined pressing her arms against her rosy cheeks.  
  
"If you want, I can spray water on him and then he has no other choice," Yuffie boasted with her hand on a water bottle. But, soon she entangled her fingers from the bottle as she saw a dark glare engrave itself to Aeris's eyes. " Fine," Yuffie mumbled sadly.  
  
"So, Tifa, what do you think?" Aeris said with a gleeful smile plastered on her lips.  
  
Tifa's head was tilted toward the lucid sky as her mind roamed and touched on other places. The sky seemed limitless, but she was on the ground bound by the shackles of gravity. All she wanted was to escape, get on a train, get in a car and just fly away. But, that was impossible and even implausible. Maybe in some ways she would even miss people in this small quaint town. But would they miss her...  
  
"Tifa!" Aeris snapped irascibly.  
  
Tifa lifted from her trance, blinking her eyes a few times before focusing on the dull blur in front of her.  
  
"I'm sorry Aeris," she blurted as she saw Aeris staring at her bemusedly.  
  
"Tifa you always zone out, but I wouldn't think you would zone out when there are sweaty guys, so what do you think of him?"  
  
"Of who?"  
  
A confounded stupor slipped over Aeris.  
  
"Who else Tif, I'm talking about your best friend. I mean your other best friend other than me, who has blonde spiky hair, gorgeous eyes," she exhaled as her pale cheeks turned pink.  
  
"Cloud?" Tifa whispered tentatively.  
  
Aeris gave a wide nod.  
  
"I think he likes me," Aeris said softly blushing effusively.  
  
"Oh,"  
  
The humming of the ball against the ground slowly grew silent replaced by the pattering of feet.  
  
"Cloud!...Zack!.. over here," Yuffie echoed placing her hands around her mouth like a broadcaster.  
  
Cloud and Zack dragged their sweaty bodies to the wooden bench where the three of them were sitting.  
  
"I have water for you guys; you must be tired," Aeris said solicitously placing her fingers around a water bottle.  
  
"Thanks Aeris," Cloud said quickly gulping the water frantically until his pale cheeks retained their ordinary tan complexion.  
  
Yuffie's brown hair began to flutter like thin feathers as she jumped impatiently up and down.  
  
"Let's go into town, we can watch a movie, have buttery popcorn and then we can use up all of Cloud's money on videogames," Yuffie mumbled boastfully.  
  
Cloud winced, as Yuffie grabbed his arms and shook them frantically.  
  
"Fine let's go," Cloud murmured bitterly.  
  
"Cloud, you can be my date," Aeris said as her arms encircled his neck.  
  
"Zack, you'll be with me," Yuffie commanded as she grabbed his wrist pulling it like a leash.  
  
"Don't you think, I'm a little old for you," he grinned.  
  
Tifa wrapped her arms around her knees, as she leaned her chin against her knees as flat wisps of cold steam blew against her skin.  
  
Yuffie's eyes widened as she silently reprimanded herself.  
  
"Tif, will be with me and Zack," she announced.  
  
Tifa snapped her head, staring at Yuffie's small frame.  
  
"You guys can go; I really don't want to go, not in the mood," she coughed out sincerely.  
  
Cloud's eyes softened as his mouth twisted in a frown. A frown he only revealed to hand full of people.  
  
"Tif, are you okay? You want me to stay with you?" he whipped out anxiously.  
  
Tifa rolled her fist and gave him a quick tap on his broad shoulders as he gave her a lopsided smile.  
  
"I'm fine," she whispered with feigned reassurance.  
  
"Really Tifa, I wouldn't mind taking both of you guys," Zack said as he gave a devilish grin.  
  
Tifa's eyes glanced at the loosely threaded group; someone was missing.  
  
"Where's Vincent?" she whispered, words only audible to her ears.  
  
Yuffie, galloped toward Tifa, as her handed widened into a semblance of an embrace.  
  
"Vincent is coming too," she pronounced triumphantly as she telepathically heard Tifa's concerns.  
  
Tifa's eyes shifted.  
  
Vincent was on the court, with a mute ball grazing his palms. It hardly made a sound as it touched the ground, only the breaking of the pale wind against its leather skin.  
  
It was like a dance, but Vincent wasn't so innately graceful. Well, she didn't know him that well. They were friends. He would giver her silent smiles for her dumb corny jokes or the clumsy grace she displayed in martial arts class.  
  
But, that was hardly anything, it was just an artificial façade. Or was it...  
  
She shook her head firmly. Memories slowly pulling themselves into surface until they were tangible as any piece of cloth or skin. She remembered the time when she was younger, when her head hardly reached the mailbox and her hands could barely touch the counter. She remembered skidding against the ground as she was running home; her feet and chest were tainted with blood as her eyes were glazed, brimmed with tears she anxiously fought back. She stopped crying for every little thing after her mother died. She didn't cry when her father forgot her birthday; she didn't cry when they had to move into a smaller house. She bit back her tears, as she unsuccessfully tried to limp home. But, the pools of blood that stirred into the cement showed trails of deterioration. The last thing she remembered was Vincent's face as he caught her slugging body. Soon everything was engulfed in a pallid darkness.  
  
She shivered as the nostalgic feeling soon drained out of her blood. She didn't want to remember the pain, the countless stitches. She reached down her chest, holding the loose cotton shirt firmly under her palms. The scars were still there.  
  
She heard a soft chuckle behind her. As Aeris's head caressed Clouds chin, as her body tangled against his.  
  
Tifa cringed, as her feet guiltily stepped back from the inseparable couple.  
  
'They are my best friends. I'm happy for them.'  
  
Trickles of sweat slowly crawled down her chin; she couldn't watch them.  
  
Her mouth parted softly, as she mumbled incoherently about having to go home and do chores.  
  
Her feet broke out into quick sprint as everything became a dull blur. The only faint memory she held was Yuffie reminding her that she was going to pick her up at eight tonight.  
  
'Don't fall, Don't fall'  
  
She bit into her lips letting the blood moisten her dry parched ones, distracting her from concerns that weighed deeply on her heart.  
  
Cloud's head drifted to Tifa's running body as his lips formed a sad smile. 


	2. Fire and Ice

A blazing red van hidden by the night's guise parked against a curb which led to mundane houses with the same blue shudders and the same moldy yellow paint smeared across their sides.  
  
Three cracks of the horn. Yuffie stuck her small head out of the window screaming at the door as her hands waved frantically calling for Tifa.  
  
Tifa perched her head against the window, sighting Yuffie's wavering body as it shook from side to side, yelling and screaming for her.  
  
She gave a soft smile. It was a first time in a long time she realized how lucky she was to have a friend like Yuffie who was not afraid to be blunt or open. Not afraid to hug someone even if they didn't want one. She wasn't afraid to kick someone in the ass if they were being an ass.  
  
Tifa hurried to her door, as she grabbed a denim coat that was missing two buttons and was fading in the back. But, clothes never seemed to be of much importance. Her brown skirt and white tang top seemed to be enough for the outing. It wasn't like it was a date. Well maybe for some people it was...  
  
A slight chill in the air, made her thankful for the thin denim jacket she brought along. Tifa walked to the front door, but Yuffie signaled her to sit in the back of the van. Tifa uncertainly opened the back door as she spotted Cloud, Aeris and Vincent seated and behind them sat Zack as he greedily stretched his legs against the spacious backseat.  
  
Her eyes caught Vincent's who was seated between Aeris and Cloud. His still body acted as a barrier between the two, but Aeris found a way to overcome all obstacles that stood in her way. She stretched her hand behind Vincent as she pricked and tickled Cloud's ear. Her lips pursed as she giggled while Cloud sat their motionless with a lopsided grin.  
  
"Vincent," Tifa whispered unconsciously.  
  
Vincent tilted his eyes surreptitiously staring at Tifa who stood there with her numb feet glued to the ground. Then he turned his head as though he had never acknowledged her presence.  
  
Tifa felt her body go cold, as her feet became two stags of ice. Everything went dark, all she remembered was a hand grabbing her waist pulling her out of the darkness, slowly tugging her back to reality.  
  
"Tifa, you can sit with me, I have a plenty of space on my side," Zack gave a wide smile as he removed his legs from their stretched position.  
  
"Thanks Zack," she said quietly as Aeris caressed Cloud's spiky hair. Tifa's fingers clawed the seat as she bit down on her lower lip until it grew blue  
  
A hand enveloped itself around Tifa's, gently stroking the porcelain skin.  
  
"Just breathe," Zack said softly giving her a weak smile. His head tilted upward as his eyes wandered from Cloud and Aeris to Yuffie.  
  
Zack held a cigarette loosely to his lips as he let sparks of red linger in the dark night; the ash burning his tongue. His mouth parted as soft rings of gray smoke seeped out.  
  
"Just breathe,"  
  
************************************  
  
The neon lights and glittering letters that pervaded streets, blinked color into the night.   
  
Tifa straightened her body as her head leaned against the pale window as she watched the old decrepit building pass her sight and the pedestrians with unwieldy bags in their hands become distant blurs.   
  
"Let's go, I'm hungry," Yuffie yelped as she parked the car crookedly in a no parking zone and grabbed Zack's arm and hurried into the nearest Chili fries fast food restaurant. Vincent walked a few feet away from the group. His black hair pasted across his skin, concealing a well-chiseled face. Black loose cotton cloth draped carelessly against him blending into the dark. If it weren't for a pale face that glinted behind the apparel, he would have been no more than a mere shadow.   
  
Yuffie hoarded a gallon of chili cheese fries greased with old oil while Zack who placed his ashen shoes on the table, pestered her.   
  
Aeris and Cloud sat across from Yuffie. Aeris held firmly in her hands a large glass of a strawberry shake with two striped straws placed in the center of the cup.   
  
Cloud grabbed a straw for Tifa, but Tifa plainly refused as she sensed Aeris heated cheeks. She driveled on about being lactose intolerant and then hovered over to the condiment section of the shack.   
  
Vincent was sitting in the corner of a table near Zack. A stoic look engraved into his face. Two girls passed by Vincent, giving soft giggles. The girl with cascades of black hair draping over her shoulders accidentally dropped her drink and stumbled into Vincent, forcing him to catch her.   
  
Vincent gave a weak smile as he helped her up, passing her a napkin to clean the stain that sullied her green silk skirt. The girl sat beside Vincent as she folded her dress revealing soft delicate legs.   
  
Tifa watched the girl. Her hair perfectly aligned, not a single strand astray. Her glossy green eyes reflected brilliantly with her emerald dress.   
  
A green tint glazed Tifa's eyes as her gaze shifted back to her own plain self. Her brown skirt and denim jacket felt jaded and old.   
  
Everyone seemed so happy. Aeris hands were gently folded over Cloud's; Yuffie was whining as Zack poked her with a garlic bread stick and even Vincent seemed to be enjoying himself.   
  
Then, why couldn't she smile?   
  
She felt like the odd ball out, the loner who got stuck with the group.   
  
'I'm happy'   
  
She was supposed to be the one who smiled when no one else could. A smile that would wipe away fear and replace it with assurance and confidence. But, how could she make other people smile when she was already forgetting how?   
  
Her hands groped for the back door as she quietly pushed it, letting her lungs tingle with the cold air.   
  
She tightened her fists as she felt a slight rubber prick at her skin. Her left glove was still sown against her skin as though it was a part of her.   
  
The rhythmic pattern of her feet against the asphalt streets provided her with a shred of comfort. The sound of her feet felt so familiar even though she felt so lost.   
  
The city was crowded with strange passerbies. A boy had blue spiked hair with five rings protruding his lips, leaving him forever with a gaping smile. Another man was stark naked from waist up. His skin was pale as snow, but his face showed not the faintest trace of deterioration.   
  
The boy with the blue hair asked her for directions to the post office, but she hadn't the slightest inkling of what he was referring to, for the metal rings impaired his speech, leaving only the sound of grinding metal.   
  
Admiration stirred in her heart, for she didn't have the courage to dye her hair blue or pierce her face. She never had the guts to step out of her own shoes and risk being something or someone else.   
  
She reached down into her pocket and fumbled out a couple of gil.   
  
Seductive neon lights blazed across the street.   
  
She squeezed her fists.   
  
This was her chance to forget, to disappear, and to change.   
  
*********************************   
  
She ruffled her hair as she attempted to grow accustomed to her rash decision to chop her hair of leaving it a little below her shoulders. Her chin nestled against her hair. It was odd how free she felt, how empowering a little cut of a blade might be.   
  
The knee high black boots she bought felt strange against her feet, bumpy and coarse. The black skirt she held had two slits on the sides enabling her to pivot her foot. She kept her white cotton tank top, but concealed her head with a sleek black fisherman's hat   
  
She felt utterly strange. The mirror seemed to reflect a different person, but maybe she just wanted it to. Just for one day, for one moment she wanted to be someone else, a stranger.   
  
They say you learn more about yourself when you walk in different shoes. Well, she was certainly walking in someone else's shoes. The black clasped boots were quite a change from her normal padded shoes.   
  
She pushed the door open as she coughed in the cold air. Gray tinted glasses shielding her claret eyes.   
  
It was the second time she had walked out of a building. The second time she walked down the street. But, this time it was a second chance.   
  
********************************   
  
Vincent had a glazed blank stare blanketing his eyes as the girl pricked at his stiff rigid fingers. The girl shifted closer to his body, as her skin flushed into a crimson red. Her lips twittering closer to his statuette body.   
  
"Vincent," a loud voice screeched.   
  
Vincent abruptly turned his head.   
  
The girl's body fumbled hard into the seat.   
  
"Vincent, do you know where Tifa is? I think she headed down to the movies. Aeris and I are heading down there to catch a movie and check if she's there," Cloud stated quickly as Aeris grabbed his arm pushing him to the revolving door.   
  
"Sorry," Vincent mumbled hoarsely to the girl as he headed for the door, letting a long shudder of air swell into the building.   
  
******************************   
  
Tifa took a long, hard breath as she felt the air rush into her throat. It felt like an ecstatic high to be rid of her old self and just be a stranger...   
  
She hurried down the street, her feet gathering speed as she dug her feet into the ground. She leapt into the air as she raced through the road. She felt invincible, unstoppable.   
  
'But everything falls'   
  
Her boot caught a slight slope in the sidewalk as she fell head first into an unknowing pedestrian on the street.   
  
The man caught her awkwardly, slowly pulling her to her feet.   
  
Tifa felt her cheeks burn as she hung her head in embarrassment.   
  
"Are you okay, miss?" said the young man.   
  
Tifa stared at the man's shoes. The sullied mud beaten, jaded shoes badly needed to be repaired for their injuries. But, they retained an admiring and nonchalant aura to them. An aura that only one person she knew could have...   
  
'Cloud'   
  
She inched her eyes tentatively up as she met stunning blue eyes. Instinctively, she snapped her head down, averting her eyes at the realization.   
  
" Are you sure you're okay," said a sweet honey voice.   
  
Tifa grimaced. As she remained in the hovered position in case she had to vomit. Aeris was such a good person, her heart was pure, and her voice was genuinely concerned.   
  
Cloud circled his arm around Aeris as she pressed her lips against his, giving him a hard kiss. Cloud jerked back, taken aback from her action, but had a warm smile plastered against his lips.   
  
'But, it hurts....'   
  
Her feet were ready to propel forward into a frantic run. But, she always ran.   
  
She turned, facing Aeris and Cloud.   
  
'They don't know who I am'   
  
A sad smile twisted on her lips.   
  
She brusquely turned her head as she faded into the night.   
  
Aeris and Cloud stared at her bemusedly as she dissipated into the fog.  
**************************  
  
Brown thins wisps of hair was pasted across her sticky cheeks. She carefully lifted her glasses as she rubbed her face with the back of her hand. Sunglasses couldn't really hide everything. Could they?   
  
'Just breathe'   
  
She felt like punching herself in the face or smacking her head against the brick wall until her head felt cold and numb.   
  
She was so weak and she hated it. The way her body crumbled when she saw him smile at her; the way her body convulse with silent shivers when that smile wasn't directed to her.   
  
She threw her fist against a bricked building, her fingers rubbing against the coarse sand. Her head throbbed and now her sore hand shared some of the pain.   
  
A dark alley stood ominously in the center of two neon signs. But, Tifa walked aimlessly toward he dark alley, as the neon lights faded into the background.   
  
She didn't know what to feel. She didn't understand what she felt for Cloud.   
  
She didn't know what love was or what lust was, or what anything matter of fact was.   
  
Water trickled down a steal pipe as it smeared against the ground forming a small puddle. Tifa stirred the water with a finger tracing a small circle as it rippled out until it was flat and thin. Her reflection was dull and blurry under the sullied water as if it was blanketed with dirt. She looked deeply into the water. A pair of black glasses flickered in the water; she pressed her glasses closer to the bridge of the nose. A hand grasped her as she felt the air smother into darkness.   
  
****************************   
  
His fingers casually hung against his pocket as his feet droned across the streets. He had nowhere particular to go. He had met Cloud in the movie theater but quickly retreated out of the theater into the cool air as the title flashed against the screen.   
  
"Love and Denial"   
  
He cringed at the name. The name gave away the whole trite plot, and he didn't think he would be able to compel himself to sit and waste a couple of hours on a pointless film where the ending was a given.   
  
Well, would that be so bad. He let the pattering of his feet fill the silence.   
  
He sat through a million of those kinds of films with Cloud and the gang. Never once did he part his lips in protest or complain and whine about the damn movies. The thing was he never liked seeing people sad, it made him feel awfully depressed to see someone crying. But, he never dared show it. Because, tears make people weak and if he cried for every single thing that every happened to him, then...   
  
His arm tightened as an arm smacked his face.   
  
Vincent snapped his flush face, as he turned his head.   
  
Zack had a wide smile glued to his mouth. " I always thought you were too pale,"   
  
Vincent gave Zack a dark look.   
  
Without giving Vincent ample time to ruminate, he grabbed Vincent's arms as he hurried down the street in a frantic run.   
  
"Where are we going?" Vincent stated indifferently.   
  
A sly smiled coiled against Zack's lips.   
  
"I'm going to make you a man....."   
  
*******************************   
  
Red and green was the first thing she saw as her eyes fluttered open. A black leather chair with candles and glimmering dresses scattered against the ground. Everything looked strange.   
  
She was lying sideways against a red-carpeted mat. Her neck was sore, and an awful pain shot out of her right arm. She attempted to scratch the area but her hands were restraint in a thick-knotted rope.   
  
Two suede shoes appeared in her distorted perception.   
  
The only thing she remembered before two girls brought her to her feet and dragged her into another room was the man's whispers.   
  
"Welcome to Don Corneo's"   
  



	3. Moonstruck

A dark velvet room blurred her vision. She felt her feet dangle against the crimson carpet as if she was soaking in her own blood.  
  
"Don Corneo," she whispered softly to herself, getting accustomed to the words. It stung her tongue making it dry and sore.  
  
'Don Corneo'  
  
She read about Don Corneo's whorehouse in magazines and books, but she never expected to step foot in the tainted building.  
  
Her stomach twisted into knots as she hunched over, wrapping her arms around her knees. She felt so alone, so helpless.  
  
Two girls with tight glittering dresses that stretched right above their waists pranced along the room.  
  
Tifa wrinkled her nose. It seemed more like an awfully short shirt than a dress.  
  
She tucked her head deep into her knees. She was suppose to change, once she placed on those sleek glasses and that old hat. She was suppose to be someone else.  
  
But, she couldn't help but feel the same....  
  
The door gaped open and out of the darkness came a man in a blue suit. A disheveled suit that hung loosely on his skin. He had a muscular build and a rugged chin, which left him with a rough, nonchalant aura. Red strands of hair were plastered against his face as he pushed back his short ponytail.  
  
'Reno'  
  
She blanched.  
  
How familiar he was. He had lived across the street from her when her mother died and her father and her had to live in the slums. She remembered his lopsided smile, the way he hurled over trouble and dodged sticky situations.  
  
But, then he disappeared....  
  
She never thought, she would see the red headed boy again. But, now when she finally does, it was in a whorehouse.  
  
Her blood quickened.  
  
She felt sick again.  
  
Before she could feel herself fall, a large stout man entered the room with a wooden cane and a blazing hat.  
  
"Don, you want me to rate her?" Reno screamed to the fat man.  
  
Don Corneo tilted his head tentatively as he neared them.  
  
Reno stared at Tifa devilishly with her black glasses folded against her eyes.  
  
"What exactly are you hiding under there," he smirked as he reached over for the glasses.  
  
Tifa snapped her head back instinctively as Reno nearly toppled over from the unbalanced position.  
  
She didn't want him to see her. He might not even remember her.  
  
Don Corneo gave a strange smile.  
  
"Well, well you're quite the beauty,"  
  
He picked up a sleek black dress and held it to her.  
  
"Dress,"  
  
Tifa firmly shook her head. She felt Reno's hand grasp her shoulder.  
  
"You listen to him," Reno commanded.  
  
Tifa stared at him through the black tinted windows. Reno unconsciously loosened his grip and started rubbing the back of his head.  
  
Tifa stared at him. He didn't belong in this place. Sure, he liked girls. But, he didn't belong here.  
  
But, then she bit her lip as she recollected on lost memories.  
  
She turned to Don Corneo as she saw remnant of red hair on his bald scalp. He was his father even though they held no similar resemblance. No, he wasn't his biological father. She remembered the night when a cold steel gun echoed across the neighborhood, and she remembered a little boy's screams.  
  
No, Don Corneo wasn't his father.  
  
But, she didn't see any reason Reno for being here.  
  
Don Corneo wrinkled his head in impatience.  
  
"Dress!"  
  
"No," she whispered softly.  
  
His eyes darkened as his fists tightened. He was ready to push her on the bed and teach her a lesson.  
  
"You're mine now,"  
  
Tifa stepped back.  
  
"No one is coming to save you," he seethed.  
  
She moved back.  
  
"You are helpless... and alone," he snarled.  
  
The wall was firmly behind her and she couldn't move back any further. The two girls almost nakedly ran around the room. She bit back her lower lip, until she felt the blood seep across it.  
  
'No one is coming for me'  
  
She tightened her fists.  
  
"You're weak honey, you need me or I might have to teach you some respect. What would your mother say if you didn't obey your elders," he scolded.  
  
Tifa's eyes filled with venom and her body ached with adrenaline.  
  
"My mother is dead!" she screamed as she quickly slugged her fist into the side of his face.  
  
He hovered back, nearly in disbelief of the strength of her fist. His face was scarred with blue and black and soon it would become an indelible scar.  
  
Tifa ran toward the door as she felt Reno's heated body moving toward her. Don Corneo's screams were muddled in with her frantic search for the door. She couldn't hear him; the only thing she could hear was her own deep hard breath as a thrill swept over her.  
  
************************************************  
  
A few stands of hair twisted against Vincent's mouth as he gaped in awe at the infamous Honey Bee Inn. Zack roughly gripped Vincent's immobile body as they enter the gaudy door with shimmers of fake gold peeling against it.  
  
Bright dazzling lights stretched darkly into the building. Men with ruffled hair and drunken laughs lingered across the room.  
  
A young lady behind a register eyed them flirtatiously, revealing concealed smiles and slight blushes of her rosy cheeks.  
  
Zack gave a wide grin as he approached her, his arm still firmly around Vincent's shoulder.  
  
Zack gave a quick brush of his hair with his loose hand while the lights made his eyes dance. The girl stared at Vincent lustfully as her fingers pricked at her lips.  
  
Zack eyes grew dark as he shook Vincent's still body. He was like a stoic statue, unchanging and unmoving.  
  
"Hello," Zack grinned at the young lady.  
  
The girl reluctantly snapped her head from Vincent.  
  
"So what would you two like?" she said with a sweet honey voice.  
  
Zack grinned devilishly as he gripped the wooden counter, leaning over it slightly.  
  
**********************************************  
  
She tightened her glove.  
  
She didn't remember when she stopped running or when she turned and knocked a man in a blue suit hard on his knees.  
  
But, she wasn't invincible....  
  
Blood dripped slowly from the cut from her lower lip. It stung like small needles pricking against her skin.  
  
Her feet stammered against the ground, uncertainly pushing doors open, or stumbling over mounds of clothes and shelves.  
  
The exit seemed too far to simply grasp  
  
***************************************************  
  
"So what kind of girl do you guys want?" the lady asked.  
  
Zack twisted his mouth in contemplation as Vincent's body froze.  
  
"What kind of girl do you want Vince," Zack said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  
  
Vince stared back at him with dead, heavy eyes as he slowly moved toward the door.  
  
Zack grabbed his arm tightly.  
  
"I think you would like a nice blonde; they're always cute,"  
  
Zack turned back to the counter.  
  
Loud screams echoed across the building.  
  
Vincent turned his head instinctively to the sound.  
  
A door crashed open, and a girl ran out of the large door. She snapped her elbow back as she hit a man hard on his chin.  
  
Vincent squinted his eyes. There were at least eight men chasing her.  
  
Vincent hit the ground awkwardly as Tifa tripped painfully on him.  
  
He opened his eyes as her body was entangled with his. Her face was so near to his, that her warm breath stung his lips.  
  
Her black glasses were still glued on her eyes.  
  
A trickle of blood form Tifa's lips dripped carelessly on Vincent's pale face. It looked like a rose in the snow.  
  
Vincent unconsciously lifted his hand wiping the stain of blood on her lips.  
  
It felt like time stopped. He couldn't hear the loud screams and thumping of bullets across the floor.  
  
Tifa blanched. It took her a while to realize that she stumbled across Vincent. Her cheeks reddened.  
  
It was the closest she had ever been to Vincent.  
  
She attempted to extricate herself from the position on the ground. But, she felt so weak.  
  
The hard leather boots of the men reverberated against the tiled floor.  
  
And, she knew time was running out.  
  
Vincent pushed his arm against the ground as he attempted to pull his body and her's up. But, before he could do anything, she lifted herself up.  
  
"I'm sorry," Tifa whispered as she ran to the revolving doors.  
  
Vincent crumbled to the ground. He remembered that voice. It felt so familiar and warm. But, the voice hung hollow against the air. He could not connect a face to it.  
  
He twisted his head back to the revolving door as the group of men screamed after the girl.  
  
Zack turned to Vincent's slouched body.  
  
"She is quite something," Zack whispered softly with a smile quivering on his lips. "I think you're have fallen head over heels. But, you don't seem like you're getting up even though you should be."  
  
Vincent sprinted to the door as he grabbed the metal bar and pushed into the cold night.  
  
Zack stared at the swinging door. Maybe experience had made him wiser; or maybe time had made him more observant.  
  
A soft smile slivered on his lips.  
  
Vincent was in love and he didn't even know it.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- 


	4. Against the current

The streets were blanketed with pedestrian. Her body shook between them, sometimes accidentally crushing someone's toe or elbowing someone on the shoulder.  
  
Lights illuminated the streets penetrating the haze that cloaked the night. She heard the men's feet and the threatening grip as they held their metal guns.  
  
The street was growing narrow. She twisted her head behind and discerned their vague shadows.  
  
_'I'm not afraid.'_  
  
Silent shivers quivered down her body. And, her life felt numb in her fingers, void and empty.  
  
_'I'm not afra-'  
_  
A hand abruptly grabbed her arm, pulling her into a dark alley.  
  
Tifa instinctively curled her arm into a fist.  
  
But, her body froze as she saw those peculiar red tinted eyes, and that pale face.  
  
_'Vincent'_ her tongue unconsciously whispered silently.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked with odd tone of concern she never felt in his voice before.  
  
Tifa shook her head. Trickles of sweat slowly dripped from his brow. He seemed to have been running.  
  
"You're bleeding," he said softly as he ripped a part of his shirt and handed it to her. His face was stoic and unmoving.  
  
_'He doesn't know its me.'_  
  
Tifa uncertainly reached for the cloth and tied it on a small cut she had on her ankle. She winced a little when the cloth touched the raw skin. The wound would surely fade but....  
  
She wasn't sure if she should pull of her glasses and tell Vincent the truth.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes still distant as they lingered on the brick wall.  
  
Tifa's eyes lingered on his frightening but handsome, white face. A hidden sad frown was concealed.  
  
Was he thinking about her again, Tifa wondered. He thought of her often...  
  
Lucrecia was his first love or at least was Zack tells her. He loved her. But, her heart belonged to another.  
  
Tifa closed her eyes. Lucrecia died, and Vincent was alone looking for a ghost.  
  
_'I'm sorry.'_  
  
"It's nothing; I have to go. Thanks you, but I have to go," she said quietly as she begin walking past Vincent.  
  
"Wait," Vincent said smoothly as he stretched his arm grabbing Tifa by the wrist."You remind me of someone."  
  
_'I look like her....'_  
  
Tifa froze as she gracefully stepped away from Vincent.  
  
Tifa squinted as she stared at his glazed eyes. She couldn't discern the image reflecting on them.  
  
But his presence felt so tangible, that it was hard for her to believe that he followed her just searching for...  
  
"You should stop looking for ghosts. She's dead and the dead can't come back," she whispered as she tightened the glove around her left hand. It felt like she was talking to herself. Remembering the words she so often spoke when she laid flowers by that cold stone.  
  
A foot shrugged back as Vincent silently winced from her words.  
  
"It's my memory. And even it's a painful memory, I rather remember it than let it fade," he said softly. His face remained motionless except for his parted lips. His eyes gradually tilted toward Tifa.  
  
Tifa gave a rueful smile.  
  
"I don't like seeing you sad... you should stop blaming yourself for something you never did,"  
  
Vincent leaned his head gracefully against the rusted wall, lined with graffiti. The words were indelible marks of the past.  
  
"You should too,"  
  
Her feet unconsciously stepped forward as every step became heightened blur. The buildings and the pedestrians looked no more than glazed dots against a canvas.  
  
It felt like a constant circle. She always ran...

* * *

Yuffie hunched over in agony as cartons of popcorn blanketed the red carpet. Music blasted from the screen as two people dashed toward a Honda Civic.  
  
"Where's Aeris?" Yuffie mumbled, half dazed from gallons of popcorn she ravenously swallowed.  
  
"She went to the department store across the street," Cloud said as Yuffie leaned against his body.  
  
He lifted his arm allowing her to comfortably lean on him. She reminded him of a little sister. He never had any siblings.  
  
He brushed his knuckles against her hair. Maybe she never realized, how important she is to him.  
  
Yuffie opened her mouth as if she was dreaming.  
  
"I never liked shopping,"  
  
"I never did either,"  
  
"I remember Tifa and I went shopping and she bought me a big hat. It looked like a sombrero, and then we ate chili cheese fries. You know that day I was kind of feeling kind of down because I...."  
  
Yuffie's eyes closed as she dreamed of knights and ninjas.  
  
Her mouth parted softly.  
  
"I always thought you and Tifa would be together,"  
  
Yuffie gave a silent yawn as her mouth stretched open and closed as lost words slid out.  
  
"I think you still love her,"  
  
The girl remained motionless on Cloud's shoulder. Cloud slid his jacket around her small frame as his mouth twitch into a reluctant smile.  
  
"More than you will ever know,"

* * *

Tifa sighed deeply.  
  
_'I'm not Lucrecia. I'm not Aeris.'_  
  
The street was muddled with pedestrians. A young girl with blonde curly hair slid her arms around a dark headed boy and gave him a long embrace.  
  
_'I don't want to be them.'_  
  
A man with light pale glasses drank his coffee sadly as he stared at the girl, a table across from him.  
  
Tifa wrapped her arms around her and quickened her pace.  
  
The building looked so unfamiliar that she was sure she lost herself hours before.  
  
A loud screech cracked the ground, breaking the asphalt.  
  
"Do you need a ride, you look kind of lost?" said a young boy with black, jet glasses covering his eyes.  
  
Tifa stepped hesitantly toward the car.  
  
"I like your glasses," he said softly, as if not accustomed to the words. "Are you hiding from someone, or something? Because people only where sun glasses when there is sun so...."  
  
He seemed nice enough. And, she was lost...  
  
She smiled. She remembered the words that neighbors used to repeat to her when she was little.  
  
_'Never ride with strangers.'_  
  
"Thanks," she murmured.  
  
She smiled for the first time with such conviction that she hardly felt like herself.  
  
She gripped the rusted handle and sat on the coarse seats of a car that should have died years ago.  
  
The engine roared as gray smoke blanketed the air.  
  
'Anything can happen'  
  
"What's your name?" she asked.  
  
He rubbed his head against his bald scalp, almost fumbling with the words.  
  
"Rude," 


End file.
